Keynote Speech
TANAKA Yasuhiro President of DORO-CHIBA(National
Railways Motive Power Union of Chiba)
Keynote Speech Create a new movement and a history of working
class!
1. Introduction Today we are holding the seventh November Workers'
Rally. We have been focusing on only one issue: "Bring back workers'
unity! Bring back workers' pride of being a master of the society!
Revitalize labor unions!" It is time to rise up, uniting angry workers and
throwing the labor bureaucrats into a trash bin; they already lost their
pride and became pawns of capital. We are confident of immense potential
of every worker. We have absolute confidence in far more potential of
united workers. With this confidence, let's create ourselves a new
workers' movement and a new history. Our struggle is now joining with
angry voices of innumerable workers; we are about to make a rupture in the
thick wall standing before us.
2. Great Endeavor of the Million Worker March Also in the United
States the working class started a historical endeavor: the Million Worker
March on October 17 in Washington DC. In opposition to the more and more
corrupt and bureaucratic leadership of the AFL-CIO, the rank and file
workers began to make history in their own name. The Million Worker March
gathered enormous endorsement of labor unions and organizations
representing 3,500, 000 workers from around the United States, despite the
obstruction of the AFL-CIO bureaucracy horrified at this struggle.
Such turbulence taking place in the very center of imperialism of the
world means beginning of a new struggle which gives tremendous impetus on
the labor movement of the world, not to mention that of the United
States. The most remarkable fact is that this struggle was started with
unbelievably audacious endeavor by a small local union. We have the honor
to have the delegation from the ILWU Local 10 and Local 19 at this rally.
The call for the Million Worker March came from ILWU Local 10, a small
local representing 1200 workers, which has been defending their militant
tradition since the Great General Strike of 1934 in San Francisco. Their
determination and resolve to call on the workers coast-to-coast and all
over the world for an action in Washington DC must have been a matter of
life and death to them. The spark came from them ignited the fire of anger
at unendurable circumstances and rapidly expanded it throughout the United
States. The MWM is the same movement as our objective and our effort in
Japan.
3. General Strike of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions The
struggles of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is also the same.
Under very difficult circumstances, the Workers of KCTU have grown up into
the national labor federation representing 700,000 workers, the mainstream
of the Korean labor movement. Under military dictatorship and its
innumerable repressions, and outlawed by it, they started to organize
labor movement risking and scarifying their own lives. KCTU Seoul Regional
Council is the locomotive of their struggle. In this November, KCTU is
launching a general strike to stop the bill on irregular workers and the
entering into of the Free Trade Agreement between Japan and Korea, whose
negotiation is now in crucial stage. The participation of fellow
workers from ILWU Local 10 and KCTU Seoul Regional Council in this rally
shows enormous opportunities of regeneration of the Japanese labor
movement.
4. Stop Massive Privatization and Proliferation of Irregular Jobs and
Union Busting Let me speak about our objectives of this rally. The
first of the objectives is to create a nationwide network of fighting
labor unions which can defeat a new massive privatization drive by the
Koizumi administration and Okuda of Japan Business Federation. The Koizumi
administration is bulldozing the scheme of so-called "large-boned policy"
(Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal Management and Structural Reform),
which aims privatization of the postal system in 2007 and reform of public
employees system. They are about to privatize not only the postal system
but also industrial civil services such as garbage, waterworks, transit
systems, hospitals, nurseries, and school catering and even the collection
divisions of the National Health Insurance and issuance of resident cards.
The privatization drive is about to inundate the whole society and attack
workers. On the one hand it deprives them of official rank of public
employee. On the other, it limits the right to strike because "they should
be deemed public employees." Privatization is #virulent poison for
workers. Privatization means also proliferation of irregular jobs and
union busting. During three years under Koizumi administration, 2,600,000
regular jobs have been lost; 1,950,000 irregular jobs with extremely low
wage and little rights have been created instead. The public pension and
healthcare are also privatized; they are slashed and changed into
so-called "self-responsibility." Now in the Diet, the deliberation on a
bill for revision of Labor Union Law aiming at destruction of the right to
organize and Conspiracy Crime Bill for oppression of labor movement is
entering in crucial stage. We, the three unions, have been organizing
workers of medium, small and minute companies, who are under the most
difficult circumstances. We have been struggling against attack by capital
using bankruptcy. We have been experiencing many disputes and promoting
organizing drive in regions and industries. Risking our jobs, we have
struggled against the division and privatization of the Japan National
Railways and defended our unity. The struggle for reinstatement of
dismissed 1047 railway workers needs now a new leap forward. The national
leadership of the Kokuro (National Railway Workers' Union) is about to
join JR Rengo (Japan Railway Trade Union Confederation), sacrificing 1047
dismissed workers. The leadership of NRU West Japan has gone so far as to
say "1047 workers cannot be employed in Japan. Go to Iraq!" However, anger
of workers at massive privatization is about to erupt; the struggle of
1047 workers has now new prospects and cohesive power. In every front,
stormy turbulence is taking places. In this world of crises and
opportunities, new struggles for fundamental transformation of the society
are beginning. The rich become more and more richer, the poor more and
more poorer, deprived every right to live. Now, we must end the domination
of greedy capitalists by the power of united workers.
5. Prepare mass struggles against war on Iraq and for immediate
withdrawal of Japanese troops, and against revision of Fundamental Law on
Education and the Constitution! The second of the objectives of this
rally is to prepare mass struggles to stop revision of Fundamental Law on
Education and the Constitution, reserving difference and increasing
agreement. Today's rally is a renewed starting point for this preparation.
If the Fundamental Law on Education is revised, it will open the way
for the revision of Article 9 of the Constitution. The labor movement
faces very crucial period from this autumn through 2005. Japanese
troops have already been dispatched to Iraq and Emergency Bills passed by
the Diet. 160 institutions, including railways, airport, port and
healthcare, were nominated as "designated public institutions" under
Emergency Laws; workers of these institutions are forced by the laws to
cooperate with war. In Iraq, a Japanese was killed; Koizumi administration
has full responsibility. It has flagrantly violated the Constitution and
intensifies war drive. Before the expiration date of Iraq Troop Dispatch
Law, a temporary statute, Koizumi administration proclaims that it
cooperate with occupation and war. We, all participants in this rally,
must demand immediate withdrawal of Japanese troops from Iraq and
immediate end of all war policy. The last year's November
International Solidarity Rally ignited a great anti-war struggle of March
20 in an occasion of the first anniversary of launching the war on Iraq.
The struggle was the first large scale united action of workers crossing
over differences between the national labor federations since the
disbandment of Sohyo (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan).
Moreover, uprising of the education workers of Tokyo and the rest of
Japan has shown a gateway to victory for workers struggling against
revision of Fundamental Law on Education and the Constitution. The
education workers of Tokyo who refused to stand up and to pay homage to
"Hinomaru and Kimigayo" (flag of "Rising Sun" and anthem of "His Majesty's
Reign") in defiance of intimidation of Fascist Ishihara, Tokyo
Metropolitan Governor, and sell-out of leaderships of teachers unions did
not shy away from filing a lawsuit against unfair disciplinary measures
and dismissal and formed a group of 480 plaintiffs including those of
preventive lawsuit. They have built a stronghold of regeneration of labor
movement as a whole, shaking even Tororen (Federation of Metropolitan
Government Workers' Unions) and Tokokyo (Metropolitan Senior High School
Teachers' Union).
6. Create a new Ampo-Okinawa Struggle The third of the objectives is
to struggle against US-Japan Security Alliance (Ampo Struggle) and Okinawa
struggle. The Bush administration states that it will reinforce
capabilities of US bases in Japan through the "military transformation" -
a project for realignment of US military bases abroad - and escalate the
US-Japan Security Alliance from "Security Alliance in Far East" to "Global
Security Alliance." The Koizumi administration is turning Okinawa and all
of Japan into an advanced base for wars. In these circumstances, a
renewed struggle has erupted upon the recent crash of a helicopter into a
building at Okinawa International University. There can be no retreat from
the struggle. Our Solidarity with US and Korean workers gives us a new
perspective on the struggle for removal of the US military bases and
against construction of new bases. "US-Japan Security Alliance and
Okinawa" has been the most important focus of Japan's labor movement or
class struggle. Let's create the third Ampo-Okinawa struggle, learning the
forerunners of Ampo Struggle of 1960 and Ampo-Okinawa Struggle of 1970.
7. By international unity of workers, fight against mass unemployment
and war Finally we must accentuate a common agenda. The struggle
against privatization is the same as the struggle against war. The
struggle against privatization and war is the common agenda of workers of
the whole world. Capitalism cannot survive its crisis without waging
war. It can no longer feed workers. Its ruling system is in decay. Koizumi
and Okuda see their only way for sustaining Japanese capitalism in
creation of "East Asian Free Trade Zone." In the negotiation with Korea,
the Japanese government are insisting on fundamental revision of labor
laws and oppression of militant struggle of Korean Confederation of Trade
Unions. It is inseparably integrated with Japan's war
policy. Furthermore, a part of labor movement cooperate with this war
drive. Some of the union bureaucracy of Rengo (Japanese Trade Union
Confederation) say "economic crisis of Japan cannot be overcome without
promoting armament industry", creating a chilly hostility among labor
movement. Even the President of Rengo said that Article 9 of the
Constitution should be scrapped. Zenroren (National Confederation of Trade
Unions) plays thef worst role of splittist who disrupt creating of broad
united action of angry workers. Now, it is time for rank and file workers
on shop floor to override labor bureaucrats and give them a coup de
grace. There is seething anger among workers of the world. The war on
Iraq has brought forth an anti-war struggle of workers and people around
the world like a forest fire. The rulers of USA, Japan and Korea have
fallen further and further into a quagmire. Bitter attacks on labor
movement likewise brings forth an international workers' struggle and
solidarity. Each struggle on shop floor is inseparable from struggles of
workers of the whole world. Workers' struggle has infinite
possibilities. Although we still face a thick wall standing in front of
us and our forward march is generating stormy reaction, we are, however,
scenting a regeneration of labor movement in this upheaval. By
international unity of workers, overthrow Koizumi, Bush and Roh Mu-Hyun!
Continue to fight! Continue to organize!
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